How does performance management affect social equity? Evidence from New York City public schools
研究绩效管理对纽约市公立学校中优势与弱势学生群体间成绩差距的因果影响，发现绩效信号对公平的负面效应较弱，多数情况下差距未扩大。
Abstract An ongoing tension exists in the relationship between performance regimes and equity. On the one hand, performance regimes could set goals to reduce disparate outcomes. However, performance regimes are associated with strategic behaviors, such as cream skimming, that could worsen outcomes for marginalized groups. This article contributes to this debate by examining the use of growth measures of performance on achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged subgroups of students in New York City public schools. Using a regression discontinuity design, this study credibly identifies the causal effects of performance signals on equity outcomes. Results show weak evidence of negative effects on equity, and the achievement gaps did not increase in most of the cases. The article also discusses how the incentives provided by growth measures can curb strategic behaviors. The findings provide measured optimism that the current generation of performance regimes can be designed to account for issues of equity.